In the medical field it is common practice to supply blood and other fluids to the patient intravenously. Standard intravenous (IV) supply devices include an intravenous catheter penetrating the skin and coupled to a supply tube. The supply tube is typically connected to a supply bag or pouch from which the contents are introduced to the patient by gravity. Alternatively, the supply tube may be connected to a standard infusion pump to provide a more accurate and controlled rate of flow through the IV tube.
The standard supply tube is formed from a pliable, clear plastic material which is easily twisted and handled. However, the flexible nature of the tubing can result in the tubing becoming tangled during use. The supply tubing is often used in lengths of four or more feet, depending on the patient, which can further result in the excess length of tubing becoming tangled. The tangling of the supply tubing can result in the tubing being pinched or otherwise constricted to reduce the supply of fluid to the patient. The tangling and/or snagging of the tubing may not be observed for some time and can result in injury to the patient.
There is therefore a need for a device which is able to reduce the risks of tangling an intravenous supply tube without interfering with the flow of fluids. There is further a need for a device which is able to store excess lengths of supply tubing during use and to permit safer use of the injection ports.
In recent years attention in the medical field has been directed to the prevention of the transmission of infectious diseases through normal contact with patients. Only recently has the medical profession become acutely concerned with transmission of infectious diseases from the patient to the health care personnel, and vice versa, during routine treatment. In particular, the medical profession is now actively considering new techniques and devices to prevent the accidental transmission of the HIV virus (AIDS), hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases between the health care personnel and patients.
In several instances, doctors and nurses have contracted hepatitis or the AIDS virus by accidentally puncturing a finger, hand or other body part with a hypodermic needle which has been in contact with a patient infected with hepatitis or the AIDS virus. One of the more common manners in which health care personnel are at risk and have become infected is during injection with a hypodermic needle when the needle slips or breaks and is accidentally plunged into the hand of the person administering the care. Accidents have occurred during injection directly into the patient and also during injection into the coupling of an IV tube.
It is common practice to administer drugs to a patient by inserting a syringe with a needle into a y-shaped coupling in the IV supply tube. This operation typically requires forcing the hypodermic needle with one hand through a puncturable septum in the coupling while the coupling is held with the other hand. The coupling is usually quite small and difficult to handle, thereby creating a high risk of injuring the operator while attempting to insert the needle. There is, therefore, a need for a device capable of supporting an IV supply tube and stabilizing the Y-coupling injection port safely to reduce the risk of injury to the operator while attempting to introduce a drug or other material to the IV tube by inserting a hypodermic needle into the IV tube.
The prior art includes devices capable of storing lengths of tubing and the like, but those devices do not deal adequately with problems specific to tubing through which fluid must flow slowly and reliably, nor do they assist in the solution of the safety problems discussed above.